Beta Glucans News

Beta-Glucan immune system stimulants
April 2005 - By Gregory Stephens, RD

A new nutritional product made from 1-3,1-6 beta-glucan is one of the most exciting things happening today in the field of nutritional supplements and immuno stimulants.

Obtained from purified yeast, beta-glucans have a long scientific history and a reference list including literally hundreds of papers. Research originated in the 1940's when Pillemer and his colleagues described a crude yeast cell wall preparation, Zymosan.

They reported that this material was able to stimulate non-specific immunity and the answer came later in the 60's, when Dr. Nicholas DiLuzio at Tulane University experimented with beta-1,3-glucan. In the late 1980's Dr. Joyce Czop, at Harvard University, described the mode of action of this material in stimulating the immune system: there is a specific receptor for beta-1,3, 1-6-glucan on the surface of certain cells, called macrophages that when activated, stimulate a cascade of events turning the body into "an arsenal of defence".

Dr Paul Clayton is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Medicine and a former Senior Scientific Advisor to the UK government's Committee on the Safety of Medicines and has done considerable research on both the immuno stimulation and anti-ageing aspects of beta glucan and says:

"As with the immune system overall, therefore, a comprehensive micronutrient support programme is a good foundation. Onto that foundation you can add a second layer of very specific innate immune support agents. They include vitamin D, the trace element selenium, the plant extract beta-sitosterol, and the 1-3, 1-6 beta glucans derived from yeast.

These beta glucans are increasingly becoming an essential part of the right modern diet and have other far reaching benefits ranging from skin care to virus protection."

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